Setting tool



FLQ. J- 4 16 11% I 22 15 22 4 21 4 ZZZ 15 v 25 1 154 F24 E g2 36 L Z I Dec 16, 1952 L. w. TOELKE 2,621,745

SETTING TOOL Filed May 25, 1950 IN VEN TOR.

L Toelke ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 16, 1952 SETTING TOOL Lester W. Toelke, Houston,

McCullough Tool Company,

Nevada Tex., assignor to a corporation of Application May 25, 1950, Serial No. 164,227

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a releasable setting tool.

In various operations conducted in connection with drilling and producing of wells, such as oil and gas wells, it is often necessary to insert various types of tools, such as bridging plugs, packers and the like, which, when positioned in thewell, are to be left in place, either temporarily or permanently. Such tools are normally suspended from operating strings, which may be cables or pipe strings, on which they are run into the well bore and anchored therein in various well-known ways, after which the operating string must be released from the tool in order that the operating string may be retrieved and withdrawn from the well.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of tool, termed a setting tool, which is adapted to form a releasable connection between an operating string and a tool to be set in a well bore.

A principal object is to provide a setting tool which is adapted to form a strong and safe connection to the tool which is attached thereto but which is readily releasable therefrom by an appropriate degree of upward pull on the operating string.

An important object is to provide a form of setting tool which may be released by a predetermined degree of upward pull on the operating string.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, the setting tool is composed of a pair of relatively slidable concentric sleeves, one of which is connected to the operating string and the other to a connecting sub which is adapted to be connected to the tool which is anchored in a well bore. The connecting sub is releasably connected to the setting tool by means of a plurality of clutch fingers which are releasable from the sub in response to relative longitudinal movement between the concentric sleeves. A resilient means, such as a coil spring, is arranged between the sleeves to control the releasing force.

Various other and more specific objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate one useful embodiment in accordance with this invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of the setting tool, showing the parts in their relative positions prior to release;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the relative position of the parts at release;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view along line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a view showing the setting tool installed in an operating string as employed in setting a bridging plug in a well.

Referring first to Fig. 4 the setting tool, indicated generally by the numeral stalled in an operating string employed for setting in a well H a bridging plug l2 of the explosiveexpansion type described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 12,523, filed March 2, 1948. The operating string, in this instance, comprises a cable l3 by which the plug and setting tool are lowered into the well, and a series of connection members, designated generally by the numeral It, by which the cable is connected to setting tool Ill, the latter being releasably connected to the bridging plug by means to be described in detail here-- inafter. In this case, an electrical conductor i5 is threaded through cable [3 and extends through the bores of the several intervening connections to the bridging plug for electrically firing explosive contained in the plug for expanding the latter into engagement with the wall of well i I to anchor the plug to the well wall, all as described in the afore-mentioned co-pending application, but forming no part of the present invention.

Fig. 1 illustrates the details of setting tool II]. A tubular body I6 is provided at its upper end with an internally threaded section I! by means of which the tool may be threadedly connected to a hollow externally threaded pin member [8 carried by the lower end of connection members M. It will be understood that other generally conventional types of connection means may be employed for connecting the tool to the operating string. The bore of body It is counterbored fromits lower end to a point somewhat below threaded section I! to provide a downwardly facing, internal annular shoulder IS. A tubular sleeve 20 is inserted in the counterbored portion of body l8 and dimensioned to be freely slidable therein. The upper end of sleeve 20 is internally threaded at 2| to receive a tubular bushing 22, the upper end of which is adapted to abut shoulder i9 and the lower end of which forms a downwardly facing annular shoulder 23 in the bore of sleeve 20. The bore of sleeve 20 is reduced at a point somewhat above its lower end to form an upwardly facing, internal annular shoulder M. A ring 25 is slidably disposed in the bore of sleeve 20 above shoulder 24, and a strong coil spring 26 is mounted in the bore of sleeve 20 in compression between shoulder 23 and the upper end of ring 25, so as to normally urge the latter toward shoulder24. Several angularly spaced slots 21 are cut through It, is shown inthe wall of sleeve 26 and extend longitudinally thereof for a short distance from a point just above shoulder 24. A circular groove 28 is out in the outer wall of sleeve 20 below shoulder. The lower wall 29 of groove 28 may slope or curve upwardly toward the exterior of sleeve 20 as shown. The portion of the wall of sleeve 20 below lower wall 29- is made slightly greater in external diameter than the remainder of the sleeve (see Fig. 2) and a plurality of angularly spaced longitudinal slots 30 are cut into the exterior of this thickened portion and extend from the lower end of sleeve 29 into communication with groove 28.

A plurality of elongated clutch fingers 3| are seated in slots 36 and are provided at their upper ends with inwardly turned lips 32 which are adapted to extend over and hang on lower wall 29. Fingers 3| are dimensioned to extend somewhat below the lower end of sleeve 20 and are provided at their lower ends with downwardly and outwardly sloping cam shoulders 33. The bore of body I6 is further enlarged inwardly from its lower end at 34 to a point slightly above the level of groove 28. The diameter of bore 34 is made slightly larger than that of a circle corresponding to the external diameters of fingers 3i when the latter are seated vertically in slots 39, so that the lower end of body I6 is slidable over the exterior surfaces of fingers SI with only a slight amount of clearance.

A circular groove 35 is cut in the outer wall of ring 25 intermediate its ends, and a plurality of angularly spaced studs 36 are screwed through the wall of body It and are dimensioned to extend through slots 2'! in the wall of sleeve 2o into groove 35. The engagement of studs 36 with ring 25 serves to lock sleeve 26 inside body I 6 and also serves as means for compressing spring 26 in response to longitudinal movement of body I 6 relative to sleeve 23.

Fingers 3I are adapted to releasably grasp the upper end of a well tool, such as plug I2, which is to be set in the well, and which is provided with means suitably designed for engagement by the fingers. For this purpose, a connector sub 31 may be conveniently employed which is provided at its lower end with a threaded pin 58 or other suit able and generally conventional connection means by which the sub may be connected to the well tool. Adjacent its upper end, sub- 3i is provided with an annular cam shoulder 39 which may conveniently be in the form of the upper wall of a circular groove All cut into the exterior surface of the sub. Cam shoulder 38 is tapered upwardly and outwardly at suitable angle which is generally made complementary to that of cam shoulders 33 on the lower portions of fingers 3|. The external diameter of the portion of sub 31 above shoulder 39 is made such that it will be substantially flush with the bottoms of slots 3! and will fit snugly against the inner faces of fingers 31 when cam shoulders 33 are latched under cam shoulder 39, as shown in Fig. 1.

In one way of assembling the described setting tool before installing it in the operating string, a sub-assembly including inner sleeve 20 and sub 31 will first be made. Ring 25 will be inserted in the bore of sleeve 28, followed by spring 26,

and then by bushing 22 which is screwed into the top of sleeve 2!]. Connector sub 31 is then placed against the lower end of sleeve 20 and fingers 3I are put in place in slots 36 with lips 32 engaging shoulder 29 and cam shoulders 33 engaged with cam shoulder 39. This sub-assem- .4 bly may then be slipped into the bore of body I6 until the upper end of bushing contacts shoulder I9. The lower end of body I6 will then extend downwardly over the exterior surfaces of fingers 3| holding these in place and in clutching engagement with connector sub 31. Studs 36 will then be inserted through the wall of body I6 and slots 21 into groove 35 and the assembly of the setting tool will thereby be completed. The upper end of body I6 may then be connected to the lower end of the series of connection members It and the lower end of connector sub 3! to the tool which is to be set in the well, thereby completing the assembly of the setting string (Fig. 1). If, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the tool to be set is an electrically fired bridging plug, the electrical con ductor I5 may be threaded in any suitable and convenient manner through the bores of the several parts of the setting tool prior to completion of the assembly. Although not shown, it will be understood that conductor I5 extends through the upper end of element Id, as may be seen in Fig. 4, and that the lower end of conductor I5 will be connected to a conventional electrically fired explosive cap suitably mounted in sub 3'! or the upper end of plug I2, as illustrated, for example, in my afore-mentioned application, Serial No. 12,543, such firing mechanism, per se, forming no part of the present invention.

A plurality of flexible metal fingers ll may be mounted about the upper end of body I6 to extend upwardly and outwardly therefrom to serve as collar locators for use in positioning the tool at a desired point in the well in accordance with generally conventional practice.

In operation, the string of tools will be lowered in the well and when the well tool, such as plug I2, has been firmly anchored in the well, as by expansion by explosive forces generated inside the plug, and it is desired to release setting tool Ill, an upward pull will be taken on cable I3 at the top of the well. This upward pull will be applied to body I6 and thence through studs 36 to slidable ring 25 and thence to coil spring 26 which will resist the tendency of body I6 to move upwardly relative to sleeve 26. The latter will be firmly locked to the anchored well tool by the engagement of fingers 3i with connector sub 31, and the fingers will remain engaged with cam shoulder 39 so long as they remain enclosed by body It. When the opposing forces, thus exerted on body I6 and sleeve 20, exceed the strength of spring 26, the latter will be compressed, allowing body I6 to move upwardly relative to sleeve 2!), drawing body I6 upwardly over fingers 3I until the lower end of body I6 has attained a point near the upper ends of the fingers, thereby releasing the fingers for outward swinging movement about the fulcrum formed by shoulder 25 (Fig. 2). The axial opposing forces will be contemporane ously exerted between cam shoulder 39 and cam shoulders 33 on the fingers, and will cause the latter to slip outwardly off of shoulder 39, and as body I6 moves upwardly the fingers will swing outwardly, thereby releasing body I6 and sleeve 26 from their connection with connector sub 37. As soon as this release occurs, spring 26 will immediately expand, raising sleeve Ell upwardly relative to ring 25 and body I6, which remain connected thereto, thereby causing the fingers to move upwardly inside body I6 thus forcing them back into slots 36 and retaining them in place in the tool. The setting tool may then be withdrawn from the well for re-us'e. It will be understood that when the setting tool has been released from the plug, conductor l5, if not broken by the action of the explosive force, will readily be broken by upward pull in cable IS in withdrawing the setting tool from the well.

It will be understood that connector sub 31 may be a part of the well tool which is anchored in the well, or such tool may have a suitable shoulder, corresponding to cam shoulder 39, machined thereon for effecting the desired connection to the setting tool of this invention.

It will also be evident that the setting tool in accordance with this invention may be employed as a type of safety connection, which may be installed in any well string which is employed to manipulate tools in a well, so that if the well tool should become lodged or stuck in the well, the operating string may be released therefrom without loss or damage to the operating string. It will be evident that the setting tool in accordance with thisinvention may be run with advantage on cable, rod, or pipe strings.

By making coil spring 25 of a pre-determined strength, the releasing force may thereby be regulated and pre-determined.

It will be understood that numerous changes and alterations may be made in the details of the illustrative embodiment without departing from the scope of the appended claims but within the spirit of this invention.

What I claim and desire Patent is:

1. A setting tool insertable in a well string for releasably connecting a well tool to said string, comprising, an outer tubular body connectible to said string, an inner sleeve member slidable in the bore of said body, a compression spring mounted in the bore of said sleeve member and connected to said body to normally oppose upward movement of said body relative to said sleeve member, and means for releasably connecting said inner sleeve member to a well tool, said means comprising a plurality of angularly spaced elongated clutch fingers swingably connected at their upper ends with the exterior of said inner sleeve member adjacent its lower end and projecting below said lower end for radial clutching engagement with a well tool, the upper portions of said fingers being normally enclosed by said body to constrain said fingers against radial outward movement, and said fingers being releasable by upward movement of said body relative to said inner sleeve member.

2. A setting tool for releasably connecting a to secure by Letters well tool to a well string, comprising, a tubular body having means for connecting it to said string, a tubular sleeve slidably enclosed within said body, resilient connection means between said body and said sleeve arranged to normally resist upward movement of said body relative to said sleeve, a plurality of angularly spaced elongated olutch fingers having their upper portions extending longitudinally between the adjacent concentric surfaces of said body and said sleeve and having pivoted connection to the exterior of said sleeve for radial swinging movement relative thereto, the lower portions of said fingers projecting below the lower end of said sleeve and adapted to clutch a well tool when in the radial inward position and to release said tool when moved to the radial outward position, the lower end portion of said body normally surrounding said fingers to hold them in said radial inward position, and adapted to release said fingers in response to upward movement of said body relative to said sleeve.

3. A setting tool according to claim 2 wherein said hinged connection comprises a plurality of angularly spaced longitudinal slots in the exterior wall of said sleeve extending upwardly from the lower end thereof and adapted to receive said fingers, an upwardly facing shoulder at the upper end of each slot, and an inwardly projecting lip at the upper end of each finger engageable on said shoulder.

i. A setting tool according to claim 2 wherein said resilient connection means comprises longitudinally spaced opposing shoulders in the bore of said sleeve, a ring slidable in the bore of said sleeve between said shoulders, a coil spring mounted in compression between the upper one of said shoulders and said ring, a plurality of angularly spaced elongated slots in the wall of said sleeve extending longitudinally thereof above the lower shoulder, and pins extending radially through said slots and connecting said body to said ring.

LESTER W. TOELKE.

REFERENGES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

